Game Report

It’s the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms found themselves in a best-of-five series against the Providence Bruins. The opening game saw James de Haas and Philippe Myers drawing back into the lineup for the Phantoms, two crucial rearguards for Lehigh Valley.

The opening period in Providence was all Bruins, however. At one point they were outshooting the Phantoms 12-2, but the visiting team was able to mount some pressure toward the end of the period.

Alex Lyon made some big saves for Lehigh Valley early on as the Bruins tested him at every chance. The Phantoms headed to the penalty box twice, and Providence made them pay for it on Greg Carey‘s hooking penalty.

However, just seconds later, Danick Martel slung a long, slow shot from the blue line towards Zane McIntyre, catching the netminder off guard and finding the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.

The second period brought a new level to the physical side of this game as the two teams started to get under each other’s skin and the penalties piled up. Ryan Fitzgerald buried his second goal of the game on a Lehigh Valley turnover caused by a bad line change to put the Bruins up 2-1.

Later in the period, however, the Phantoms found themselves on the receiving end of a five-on-three advantage and didn’t waste the opportunity. Carey blasted a puck home from the blue line, and then Martel buried his second of the game on the remaining five-on-four power play.

To Providence’s credit, they came back strong on the final frame, and outshot Lehigh Valley 15-2 in the final 20 minutes of play. But Lyon stood tall in the crease, denying shot after shot from the Bruins and giving his team the chance to hang on to a hard-fought win to take the initial lead in the series.

These two teams will meet again in Providence on Saturday night for game two, which promises to be a hard-hitting affair. The key for the Phantoms will be to rein in their discipline and stay out of the penalty box.

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